Here I am with my father, Bill Denninger, out for a Sunday drive a several
years ago. The horse was my 20-something Saddlebred named "Jake" (now
retired). I restored this 1881 Stivers sidebar runabout from the ground up. The
carriage and several of my pieces are now in a collectors museum.
Denninger Products is a fourth generation family business which began in the 1870's with my great-grandfather, Jacob Denninger, in Brooklyn, New York. At that time, they made wood and felt products, and the shop ran on a steam engine. My grandfather, William Denninger Sr., moved the business and family out of the city in 1937 to beautiful Orange County, NY. But it wasn't until my father William J. (Bill in the photo above) took over the business in 1956, that Denninger Products became a major supplier of polishing buffs and small tools for the jewelry and dental trades. In 1974 my father sold the original Denninger Products, and the felt polishing buffs and tools we made are still being made under the name "Denninger Felt Products". As the youngest Denninger, I virtually grew up in this rural family business consisting of a complete wood shop, felt business, machine shop and farm where I laid the foundation for my own future in business and as an artist.
I will always have a great love for horses (although as a kid, I thought of a horse more like the kids today think of a motorcycle or 4 wheeler!) I held onto the love of horses seriously for quite a while. After graduating high school, I studied and apprenticed as a farrier and blacksmith. I spent the next 15 years shoeing horses in and out of some of the finest show horse stables in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New England. I belonged to, and served as an officer in the NY, NJ & PA Farriers' Associations and competed relentlessly for a few years in the early '80's in many farrier competitions up and down the East Coast. I won the Golden Hammer in New Jersey in 1982. I have always kept the forge going, not only for hand making most of the shoes I needed, but for producing and repairing all types of traditional ironwork as well. Now I keep the fire lit for forging the copper and brass for my weathervanes, finials and sculptures.
Now when I'm not in the shop making weather vanes and finials for our interesting customers, I have about 6 thousand interests (and counting) . . .
I had a great passion for archery for years. I started out shooting my compound hunting bow at local 3D's, and I shot in an indoor 3D league over the winters. But as I tend to do, I wanted to take it to "another level" . . . I started shooting target archery Olympic style (recurve with fingers). It was quite a mental and physical challenge to accurately shoot arrow after arrow at 90 meters (about 98 yards) - that was the whole idea. I met a great coach and friend Monty Roca in 1999. And boy did my form improve...
Finishing a shot at the 1999 New Jersey State Championships
In 1999 my big archery goal was to make the Hudson Valley Team for the Empire State Games, and of course, to do well. Both came true. That season I improved my scores at every tournament. I have Monty to thank, and a lot of hours of practice. I ended up 7th in the overall scoring at the games. In 1999 I placed 5th at the New York State Championships and 6th in New Jersey (guest division). Since 2000 I struggled with an uncooperative shoulder. I was not able to in put the extensive practice but instead concentrated on the more important mental part of the game. The perserverance paid off. I made the Hudson Valley Team again in 2000 and scored just 3 points behind the previous year.
In 2005 Beth & Radar & I moved to our dream home and shop. We
found a very secluded, almost remote 9 acres with a glass front lake house on
the end of a peninsula down on Bull Shoals Lake right on the MO/AR border. What
we found is a place to live and work and have our being all on one property and
never feel like we have to go somewhere on vacation. The view still stops me in
my tracks and sometimes it is hard to get back to work. Looking out over the
water is an ever-changing experience and we are very grateful for the Grace
that brought us here.
What a view.
It's always a beautiful day in the Ozarks!
Bull Shoals is an incredibly beautiful lake with over 1,000 miles of shore line (over 45,000 acres) and lots and lots of places to fish, ski, tube or just slip into a secluded cove and have a swim in the warm summer waters. The lake never freezes, and we boat all year 'round. The lake is a world class fishery with several state records for both Missouri and Arkansas being taken from its crystal clear waters. Present Arkansas records include - Smallmouth Bass & Spotted Bass and Missouri Records include - Brown Trout, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, Stripped Bass, Walleye & Yellow Perch. I am sure that the ol' Bull has a world record Walleye just swimmin' around in her right now. Hey - it can't hurt to dream a little...
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Since our migration to the Ozarks I have gotten interested in fishing for Walleyes. I now belong to Mid South Walleyes out of Springfield, MO and the Walleye Anglers Group in Mountain Home, AR. I have made some good friends there and have started to go to a few Walleye tournaments.
Beth & I believe in supporting our community and we were a part of the effort to build a new Firehouse Substation just 4.2 miles from our home and about 150 other outlying homes and properties. A small piece of land was donated, the money was raised and firehouse built debt-free in under 6 months - I love the Midwest's independent can-do attitude! I am now a regularly trained volunteer firefighter for the Theodosia Area Volunteer Fire Department and I am ready when called.
I am a Freemason and back in NY I have a Masonic resume as long as your arm, but am glad to have a quiet and small Lodge here near home, and it was so easy to make good friends in a new place.
I am a dedicated student of Joel S. Goldsmith and The Infinite Way and
will be as long as it takes. I am so grateful to my lifelong friend Walter J.
Otto, now passed, who literally spent 20+ years introducing me to it. His
patience and perserverance as a mentor was unfailing, honest and true. Each
day, I know a little more about the work/service I am supposed to do here...
Here are some of my favorite Infinite Way links:
Infinite Way
Students | Mystical
Principles |
Unofficial
Infinite Way | JoelGoldsmith.com |
Mystics of the
World | The Valor
Foundation | Aloha
Mystics | Acropolis Books
Over the years I have managed to collect and file a lot of Joel's books,
transcripts, essays & tapes and have assembled a keyword searchable
Infinite Way Concordance. I am happy to share what I have with you. If you have
a word or phrase you would like me to look up for you, you are welcome to email
me your query. al.weathervane@yahoo.com
